Readjusting to the Western World
You are always warned about culture shock. About the dangers of travelling. About the struggles of travelling. Particularly in the style that we do on a Challenges Abroad challenge. When you pack your bags for one of these trips, you are very well prepared to go through culture shock. You are prepared to be the odd one out.
What you DON’T prepare for is the reverse culture shock. You come home expecting it to be an easy transition. Your people are there, your creature comforts are there, the food is ‘normal’ again. Everything is as you left it. Simple, right?
WRONG!
You go home with all of the knowledge you’ve just absorbed over 2-4 weeks on the program. You go home with people’s stories, the challenges of other countries realising how privileged you are to live in a society where you don’t have to worry as much about bigger problems, where you have more freedom than most people your age. You may even reconsider some of your life choices as a consequence. You go home wanting to be better.
Arriving home, after the initial holiday excitement wears off, conversations feel superficial, daily life seems somehow off - you’re hit with a wave of disconnection you didn’t see coming. You’ve changed. But home hasn’t, or at least not in the ways you imagined.
This was very much the case in both my Cambodia and Peru trips, in different regards. As a seasoned traveller, having travelled most of Asia, I was relatively numb to the culture shock in Cambodia. I had a lot of compassion, care and interest in the kind people, their intricate culture and recent history of genocide. Despite their modern history horrors, Cambodian people are incredibly friendly and most people we met, including the students, were quite content with their lives.
I came away considering how little you need in life to be happy, and being more considerate of other people. I was also more considerate of the environment, being grateful for the clean water and streets. I came home angry that we had so much and still complained, yet they had so little and did not. I found this adjustment to home so difficult.
Similarly, in Peru, we volunteered in a remote farming village in the mountains, and again, people were content. This was slightly more of a culture shock, as our toilet was across a field in the rain, and the village was almost off the grid. But the incredible lake and mountain view location made for some fantastic campfire nights. The food, the people, the love and care that they showed towards us as foreign people was unimaginable. The kids here were more brazen though, and not afraid to tell you what they think.
I came home from Peru with a new respect for Latin America in general. I came home with the will to dance, sing and express myself more. To enjoy life and to enjoy my community. I was frustrated at the lack of community feel in my life. At the ignorance of others. But I have slowly adjusted. As a secondary teacher, I implement these values in my classrooms - more so the community and teamwork aspect.
I’m a firm believer that travel is the best education a person can have. It changes a person just a little bit. The culture immersion - the language barrier and the cultural norms, eating food you might never eat at home, meeting people from all walks of life and hearing their hardships, and simply being independent in an alien environment. How can you come back the same after everything you have been through?
Both culture shock and reverse culture shock are part of the same emotional journey: letting go of what’s familiar, growing through discomfort, and finding your place again. They remind us that culture isn’t just "out there" in other places - it’s also deeply embedded in who we are and how we see the world.
So when you consider a Challenges Abroad trip, do not be put off by the culture shock or the reverse culture shock.
Just remember to be kind to yourself, trust the process and remind yourself that the discomfort is the pathway to growth.